Snake Identification
I agree a copper head. I always remember this rhyme...
Red touching black is a friend of Jack, Red touching yellow can kill a fellow.
"Red touching black is a friend of Jack, Red touching yellow can kill a fellow."
I believe that rhyme refers to Coral Snakes, not Copperheads.
Jul '18
Think it's a harmless milk snake.. those small spots on the sides aren't usual for a copperhead. Copperheads have more hourglass shaped bands all the way across. But I wouldn't pause long to try to figure it out if I came upon one! Snakes give me the willies!
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=vkwnt%2bNd&id=119854B5B1BC596DBA30C08E1F0B86FE8193E6FD&thid=OIP.hPQmplYFTXqTgJzBPBdv-gHaE7&mediaurl= https%3a%2f%2fwww.paherps.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2013%2f05%2fmilksnake-bobf.jpg&exph=639&expw=960&q=milk+snake+images&simid=608044097384874588&selectedIndex=22&ajaxhist=0
Thinking milk snake too. We found a very young one last year and it did look like a copperhead.
Not a corn snake, it is an eastern milk snake...
Corn snakes are very rare in new Jersey, and are really only found in pine barrens.
Eastern milk snakes, which look very similar to corn snakes are very common and are plentiful in our area.
According to the NJ Fish and Wildlife Division (as of 3/20/18) milk snakes are most definitely on the endangered list.
ru's "rule" only works up here.
If you're in the South, a Coral Snake is very poisonous, but doesn't have a diamond-shaped head because it's not considered a "pit viper", like rattlesnakes, etc. are.
Venomous, not poisonous Phil. ;). You can eat the snakes without a problem.
In that neck of the woods, all you need to worry about are pit vipers. Not that gettin bit by a water snake would be fun...
Very true Mark, very true. Ratllesnakes are "pretty good eating", as the expression goes. I've eaten cooked rattlesnake before and it is pretty decent. Moose and Kangaroo were much tastier, but it wasn't half bad, lol!
Looks like the snake is being held by a shovel.....hopefully just holding it.......Id hate to hear that it was killed..... :(
I noted that as well, littlelu. I understand some folks are not fans of snakes but an unnecessary killing should not be an option.
Perhaps the OP will let us know the disposition of the snake.
“Moose and Kangaroo were much tastier, but it wasn't half bad, lol!”
Never had moose or rattlesnake but kangaroo is very good. There’s a restaurant by me that serves “wild game”. Obviously laws mean they are farm raised but you can get kangaroo, bison, alligator, wild boar, etc depending on what menu they make up for the day/week.
"Eastern Milk Snake?"
Yep. Easy to see the round head shape so you know it's non-venomous too.
I knew all this rain and numerous chipmunks will bring snakes closer to house. Is it poisonous? How to get rid of it?
Looks like a garter snake
Some home remedies here
https://www.thriftyfun.com/Getting-Rid-of-Garter-Snakes-1.html
What ever kind it is, it would be on the endangered list even longer, once I got done with it.
Yeah little garter snake. It's funny this was posted. Just yesterday I found one cruising by my rear garage entrance. I think he lives under my deck. I tried to catch him to take a closer look but no luck. I often find them in the yard and enjoy catching them for a look then releasing. Snakes are good neighbors.
Never heard a garter being that big......but think it's a Eastern Ribbon Snake and a big one given max size in 35 inches and very lean.... Don't like snakes at all but that's a beauty and non venomous.
Correct it looks to be a ribbon. Basically a larger type of garter. I'll bet he would get your attention!
I always liked snakes of all kinds. As a kid my father was so afraid of snakes he would chase them with the lawn mower. One got in the basement once- he wanted to move! LOL
Garter snakes can get up to about 4 feet long. Most I’ve seen are either babies or a couple feet at most.
Move along agreed - I don’t want to hurt them even though they frighten me. I am going to try the rope in my garden beds idea
The good thing is that it helps to rid your yard of vermin, such as mice, rats, etc. so even if it looks a bit scary I'd definitely leave it alone. No problem with letting nature do the pest removal job for you;-)
There are only two venomous snakes that you "may" come across here. We're at the Northern edge of Copperhead territory in Northwestern, NJ. I've actually seen a nest of them in Flanders near where I used to work. One was just found in Montclair a couple of days ago, which is a bit out of its territory:
https://patch.com/new-jersey/montclair/venomous-copperhead-snake-captured-montclair
The other is the Timber Rattler which you're more likely to come across It's only 3-5 feet long, but quite thick:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7147.html
It’s non venomous, just leave it be. They control mice populations and they eat bugs. They cause no harm to people. They are good to have around.
“It’s non venomous, just leave it be.”
Technically, some species of garter snakes do produce a very mild venom. Enough to stun toads, frogs, etc. but basically harmless to humans (a little itching/swelling).
“The other is the Timber Rattler...”
On the flip side, the Timber Rattlesnake produces a very potent venom and a lot of it. It’s potentially the deadliest snake in the US, but it has a somewhat mild disposition and gives plenty of warning. I’d rather see one of these as opposed to a copperhead (which strike more readily without warning). I’ve seen a couple dead copperheads on the street in front of my house, so my eyes are always scanning around when I’m doing yard/brush work.
So far all I’ve seen in my yard are a couple 5-6’ long black rat snakes and a black racer. I would love to see a king snake... they are around, and will kill copperheads (they are immune to its venom), but I haven’t noticed any yet.
Lena- I just happened to go to Lowe's a short while ago to get some rabbit repellent for a new visitor in my flower bed and saw this product. I didn't know something like this existed.
Mark Mc.
Yeah, Coastal NC has the nastier venomous denizens, including the Eastern Diamondback Rattler, responsible for a decent # of deaths with a 10-20% kill ratio. The Cottonmouth, aka Water Moccasin is likely the most aggressive of the lot however. There are even Coral Snakes in some areas, which are shy, but one of the deadliest too.
When I worked in housing construction pretty much nothing had a basement, only crawl spaces underneath the houses. You know, that water table being only 2" from ground level at times! More than once I've seen an HVAC guy come flying back out from underneath a house, having seen one of the pit vipers escaping the stifling heat hanging out down there. It's always somewhat entertaining if it's not happening to you!
" More than once I've seen an HVAC guy come flying back out from underneath a house, having seen one of the pit vipers escaping the stifling heat hanging out down there."
Haha, I've been lucky so far... I have lots of cellar spiders in my crawl space, but so far haven't seen anything worse than that and maybe a few wasps, etc. That's one thing the south has a lot of... bugs and spiders.
Greg - yes, we bought this (in power form, I prefer powder to spray). Hopefully it works. Now I need to shoo it away from flower bed near my front entrance and spray after it's gone - otherwise it will stay inside the border. Heck, I will put powder on the whole flower bed, just in case.
A copperhead was also found in Paterson last week. It actually bit a man. They are everywhere.
https://www.nj.com/news/2019/06/venomous-copperhead-caught-in-montclair-days-after-one-bites-man-in-paterson.html
"The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife was contacted and took the snake away where it will be used for “educational purposes".
The only "educational purposes" I have for copperheads is to see how well my snake shot works in a .38 revolver.
Perhaps we all need a pair of these then we do not need to worry :)
https://www.safgard.com/mens-shoes/products/RY1570
I have run into a few timber Rattlers off Old Mine rd in the Water Gap.. this photo was taken there. I am always scanning the trails when I get near wet areas.
Jun '19
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